Strong play at the Georgia Dome has helped the Atlanta Falcons become one of the NFL's most improved teams of the 2008 season. It's also a place where the Carolina Panthers have enjoyed visiting in recent years.

The first-place Panthers will attempt to defeat the Falcons on the road for a fourth consecutive year in this Sunday's clash between the two NFC South inhabitants.

While Atlanta is clearly moving in the right direction under the first-year regime of head coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff, the Falcons have not garnered much success in their encounters with the rival Panthers as of late. Carolina has emerged victorious in five of the last seven matchups between the clubs, and easily handled upstart Atlanta in a Week 4 clash in Charlotte back on September 30.

The Panthers also carry a four-game overall winning streak into this important divisional test and own a sparkling 8-2 season record, which trails only the 9-1 New York Giants for the best mark in the NFC. Carolina had won eight of its first 10 games only once previously in the franchise's 14-year history, and the club made its lone Super Bowl appearance that season after finishing 11-5 and atop the NFC South in 2003.

Carolina hasn't exactly been overwhelming the competition lately, however. The team overcame a horrendously bad performance by usually-steady quarterback Jake Delhomme to produce a 17-6 triumph over offensively-challenged Oakland in Week 10, then had to rally from an early 10-point deficit in a 31-22 home decision against winless Detroit this past Sunday.

The Panthers prevailed last week by hanging a team-record 264 rushing yards on the Lions' shoddy defense, with both rookie Jonathan Stewart and emerging star DeAngelo Williams running for over 120 yards and combining for a trio of touchdowns.

Carolina puts its unbeaten run on the line against an Atlanta squad that won its first four outings at the Georgia Dome this season before being edged by AFC West-leading Denver by a 24-20 count a week ago. The lead changed hands three times during a see-saw second half, with the Broncos moving in front to stay on a Jay Cutler touchdown pass with 5:35 left to play.

Atlanta, which had posted two straight victories prior to last Sunday's setback, fell two games behind the front-running Panthers in the NFC South standings but remains squarely in the conference playoff mix with a 6-4 record. The Falcons have not dropped back-to-back contests yet this season.

SERIES HISTORY

Atlanta leads the all-time series with Carolina, 16-11, but was a 24-9 road loser when the teams met in Week 4. The teams embarked on an unconventional home-and-home split of last year's series, with the Falcons coming up a 27-20 home loser when the teams met in Week 3, but going to Charlotte and earning a 20-13 upset victory in Week 10. The Panthers are 3-0 in Atlanta since last losing there in 2004. Carolina last swept the Falcons in a home-and-home in 2005.

Panthers head coach John Fox enters Sunday's contest with a 6-7 career mark against Atlanta, while Smith is 0-1 against both Fox and Carolina as a head coach.

WHEN THE PANTHERS HAVE THE BALL

While Delhomme is in the midst of a puzzling slump, Carolina's running game has flourished over the past few weeks to counteract the veteran quarterback's shaky showings. Williams (782 rushing yards, 13 receptions, 6 total TD) surpassed the century mark for a third straight game with a 120-yard, two- touchdown effort on just 14 carries against the Lions, and the third-year back is averaging a stellar 7.4 yards per attempt over that tremendous stretch. Stewart (513 rushing yards, 6 TD, 5 receptions) was equally as impressive as his counterpart last week, as the first-round selection racked up a career- best 130 yards and a score on 15 totes. The Panthers rank sixth in the NFL in rushing offense (133.7 ypg) and are averaging a robust 170.5 yards per game on the ground during their four-game win streak.

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